Coopetition in the Public Sector

Synonyms

Collaboration; Competition; Cooperation

Definition

Coopetition is a paradoxical relationship between two and more actors simultaneously involved in cooperative and competitive interactions, regardless of whether their relationship is horizontal or vertical (Bengtsson and Kock 2014).

Introduction

The concept of coopetition highlights the situation in which actors both cooperate and compete with each other (Brandenburger and Nalebuff 1996; Lado et al. 1997). So far, the concept is well researched in a private-sector context but lacks investigation in a public-sector context (Stentoft et al. 2018). Thus, at least three reasons contribute to the importance of studying coopetition in the public sector. First, with the implementation of New Public Management during the last few decades, it has become vital to understand how public-sector actors can contribute to a better and more inexpensive public sector by both cooperating and competing. Second, it is relevant to know how...